Monkey's Paw
by EpsilonEagle
Summary: Frisk never made it back to the surface, but everyone else did. Sans decides to give him a call to tell him how things are going.
1. Chapter 1

(ring, ring...)

Hey kid, looks like I found your number. I just called to say, thanks. Thanks for everything, for breaking the barrier, for setting everyone free and allowing us to...

(sigh) Who am I kidding, I'm talking to the voicemail of a dead kid...

The fact of the matter is, things aren't as great as they seem. Yes, we made it to the surface, but without you there to join us it feels like we've made a wish to a monkey's paw. It's a hollow victory, no bones about it. This should've been the best day of our lives but it feels like we've been cheated, and we're all just in for a whole new world of hurt, and without you there to show us the ropes we're all gonna get licked.

We miss you Frisk, I don't know if you could hear me but... eh. I don't know why you let your determination run dry at the moment when you needed it most, but I know you wouldn't have thrown your life away unless you knew you had no other choice.

We built new towns around Mount Ebott, a new Snowdin at the peak, a new Hotland at the beach, and a new New Home which Asgore called "Newer Home". Yeah, he was never great with names. We've bought up all the land in the area around the mountain and declared it our own country, we're not quite ready to integrate into human society yet so having a place of our own is probably the best way to live right now. Asgore also disbanded the monarchy and decided to start a democracy instead... And then won the election anyway because he was running against Jerry and Burgerpants. Basically, most of everything's the same except now he's "President Asgore" and we all live on the surface... and you're not with us.

Oh, Asgore built a pretty awesome memorial for you too! You even have your own statue in the middle of a public park, surrounded by lots of flowers and trees. The epitaph says "In memory of Frisk, hero to all monsters", I think it's sort of an understatement.

So, you're probably going to ask how everyone's holding up? We're hurting kid, real bad.

Toriel and Papyrus were hurt the worst. Toriel... You can't just lose three kids in your lifetime and ever be the same. She never bothered moving to the surface with the rest of us, she stayed down there in the ruins... alone. I visit her whenever I can but she's not the same cheerful woman she used to be, she's so quiet, she doesn't laugh much anymore and whenever she smiles it seems like she's faking it. She's starting to become like me, no motivation whatsoever, and that scares me. Her heart's so heavy now, it weighs a ton... Normally I'd make a skeleton pun right now but it wouldn't be very appropriate.

As for Papyrus? He ain't doing too well either. Ever since you died he's become angry, really angry, I've never seen Papyrus so pissed off. A few days after we got out he went down into what was left of the old Hotland and just started raising hell, smashing everything in sight with the Gaster Blasters and giant bones, I never realized how terrifying he could be when he's actually pissed. He's not mad at you though, he's mad at us, he was screaming about how it wasn't fair because you were a hero and we all tried to kill you at some point, and despite the fact that you saved us all in the end you were the only one who didn't get a happy ending. It hurts seeing Papyrus suffer. I'll be honest, I used to have nightmares all the time that you would kill him, cut his head clean off. But it turns out you and him became besties, and then you died. That being said, Papyrus did achieve his goal of joining the Royal Guard, he's captain in fact, the position became available after Undyne was promoted to General. I haven't seen much of her or Alphys lately, they're mostly really busy with their work leading the army or researching and developing who knows what.

Welp... Just thought I'd call to say hi. I guess I'm going to Grillby's, but if you get my message...

We could really use your help right now.

(click...)


	2. Chapter 2

[Wow! I'm very surprised such a short story I've written in such a short amount of time has gotten such great reviews and so many views so quickly. Thank you everyone for your support. I'll write a second chapter to this story now, let me know what you all think].

(ring, ring...)

HI!

THIS IS KIND OF WIERD AND SPOOKY, LEAVING A VOICEMAIL FOR SOMEONE WHO ISN'T WITH US ANYMORE. SANS SAID THAT I MIGHT FEEL A LITTLE LESS ANGRY IF I TALKED TO YOU THOUGH, I HOPE HE'S RIGHT. I REALLY WISH YOU WERE WITH US THOUGH, I THINK IT WOULD BE PRETTY COOL IF YOU CAME BACK AS A SKELETON AND BECOME FRIENDS WITH ME AGAIN, AM I RIGHT? NYEH-HEH-HEH!

(sigh) SORRY, I GUESS I WAS SECRETLY HOPING FOR A RESPONSE...

FRISK, YOU WERE MY FIRST REAL FRIEND, YOU SURE WERE FUN TO HANG OUT WITH BUT I GUESS THOSE DAYS ARE OVER NOW. I'LL HANG OUT AT YOUR GRAVE FOR A WHILE THOUGH AND KEEP YOU COMPANY, I IMAGINE THINGS MIGHT GET LONELY WITH EVERYBODY BEING SO BUSY, MYSELF INCLUDED. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE GOTTEN TIRED OF LOOKING AT YOUR GRAVE LOOKING SO DOOMY AND GLOOMY! A HERO'S GRAVE SHOULD INSPIRE AND IMPRESS! SO I'VE DECIDED TO SURROUND IT WITH FLOWERS! I'VE PICKED YOUR FAVORITE COLORS, PURPLE AND PINK!

Trust me, the less I see of yellow flowers the better...

I'M ANGRY AND SAD AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S A VERY UNPLEASANT FEELING AND I HATE IT! I'VE FAILED YOU... IF I WERE STRONGER, IF I WERE LESS NAIVE, IF I WERE LESS SOFT I WOULD'VE FIGURED OUT THAT FLOWEY WAS EVIL FROM THE BEGINNING, I WOULD'VE KILLED HIM BEFORE HE KILLED YOU, I WOULD'VE SAVED YOU! BUT INSTEAD I JUST STOOD THERE HELPLESSLY WHILE YOU FACED HIM ALONE. IT WAS I WHO WAS TRICKED INTO LEADING HIM TO YOU, AND THEN WHEN YOU TRULY NEEDED MY HELP I BLACKED OUT. BY THE TIME I AND THE OTHERS CAME TO...

I... I CAN'T DISCUSS THIS ANYMORE...

THINGS ARE DIFFERENT NOW THOUGH. UNDYNE TAUGHT ME THAT THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD YOU HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO FIGHT, AND SOMETIMES THE WORLD IS, UNFORTUNATELY, KILL OR BE KILLED. I NEVER REALLY TOOK HER SERIOUSLY AT THE TIME, I THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS A PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO ANYTHING BUT ALAS, FLOWEY MADE A LIAR OUT OF ME. I NEVER WANT TO LOSE ANOTHER ONE OF MY FRIENDS! I WANT TO PROTECT EVERYONE, I WANT TO BE STRONGER... NO! I WANT TO BE THE STRONGEST MONSTER OF ALL TIME! THAT WAY NOBODY WILL BE ABLE TO HARM MY FRIENDS AGAIN! I WON'T LET THEM TAKE A SINGLE SLIVER OF THEIR HOPE, THEIR HP, SINCE EVEN THAT SINGLE POINT OF HOPE IS ENOUGH TO MAKE MY BROTHER TURN TO DUST. SO I'LL TRAIN, I'LL FIGHT, AND I'LL GET STRONGER NO MATTER HOW MUCH IT HURTS AND NO MATTER HOW LONELY I BECOME! I'LL TURN MY ANGER INTO STRENGTH AND SMASH ALL THE BAD GUYS WHO THREATEN THE PEOPLE I LOVE!

I'LL NEVER FAIL AGAIN!

WHOOPSIE! GOT A LITTLE CARRIED AWAY THERE, NYEH-HEH-HEH! YOU PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE TOO INTERESTED IN HEARING ME ACT LIKE A GROUCH, SO I'LL TELL YOU SOME MUCH HAPPIER NEWS! HMM, WHERE TO START...

OH! ALPHYS RECENTLY WON SOMETHING CALLED A "NOBEL PRIZE". SHE'S REALLY GOT HER ACT TOGETHER SINCE SHE GOT TO THE SURFACE AND DECIDED TO DEVOTE HER TIME AND VAST SCIENTIFICAL SMARTNESS TO SOLVING THE WORLD'S PROBLEMS! SHE'S CURED DISEASES, HELPED CLEAN UP THE AIR WITH HER INVENTIONS AND CLEAN ENERGY AND HELPED DESIGN A MEANS OF CREATING LOTS OF FOOD FOR EVERYONE! SHE'S WON A LOT OF ADMIRATION AND RESPECT, BOTH AMONG THE MONSTERS AND EVEN THOSE GRUMPY HUMANS. SHE LOOKS TOTALLY DIFFERENT TOO! SHE'S LOST A LOT OF WEIGHT, SHE PRESENTS HERSELF BETTER, STANDS TALLER AND PROUDER NOW AND LOOKS MUCH LESS... ASHAMED OF HERSELF. HER STUTTER HAS NOW BEEN REDUCED TO THREE OR LESS EXTRA SYLLABLES FOR EVERY 10 WORDS, AND SHE HAS YOU TO THANK FOR IT, HURRAH! SHE GAVE YOU A PRETTY AWESOME SHOUT OUT AT HER ACCEPTANCE SPEECH TOO, YOU SHOULD BE PROUD. SHE SAID THAT IF A HUMAN CAN SAVE MONSTERS WHO TRIED TO KILL THEM THAN A MONSTER CAN SAVE HUMANS EVEN IF THE HUMANS WANT THEM GONE.

THAT BEING SAID. SHE WAS SORT OF BUMMED OUT THOUGH WHEN SHE DISCOVERED THAT HER TASTE IN ANIME IS TERRIBLE. ANIMONSTER GAVE MEW MEW KISSY CUTIE 1 OUT OF 10 STARS AND ANIMENIAC CALLED IT "A BOILING POT OF CLICHES", I GUESS THAT WOULD PROBABLY EXPLAIN WHY SHE KEPT FINDING THE DVDS IN THE GARBAGE.

AND THEN THERE'S UNDYNE, NYEH-HEH-HEH! SHE WAS SO MAD WHEN SHE DISCOVERED ANIME WASN'T REAL! ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE WAS WALKING AROUND THE SURFACE ASKING EVERYBODY IF THEY KNEW WHERE SEPHIROTH LIVED BECAUSE HE HAD A RAD SWORD AND ASKING WHERE ALL THE GUNDAMS WERE, IT WAS THE FUNNIEST THING EVER! TOO BAD YOU WEREN'T THERE TO SEE IT. UNDYNE HAS BECOME GENERAL UNDYNE NOW, BASICALLY JUST UNDYNE WITH REALLY BAD ASS GOLDEN ARMOR AND AN ENTIRE ARMY OF MONSTERS TO COMMAND. SHE STILL HANGS OUT WITH ALPHYS AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, OF COURSE, BUT THE TWO OF THEM ARE USUALLY REALLY BUSY WITH THEIR WORK. SHE'S SAD THAT YOU'RE GONE, BUT SHE DOESN'T HATE HUMANS AS MUCH AS SHE USED TO. SHE'S MORE INSPIRED AND MOTIVATED NOW THAT SHE BETTER UNDERSTANDS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A HERO.

HOW AM I DOING?

WELL, SANS PROBABLY ALREADY TOLD YOU ABOUT MYSELF AND TORIEL. I'M WORRIED ABOUT SANS THOUGH. HE SEEMS TO HAVE TROUBLE DEALING WITH REALITY, HE'S UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT AT ANY TIME YOU'RE GOING TO... COME BACK. HE SAID HE'S WAITING FOR YOU TO RESET, AND THAT ONE DAY HE'LL WAKE UP IN THE OLD SNOWDIN, AT HIS POST BEFORE YOU SHOWED UP AND THAT EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE. OF COURSE, THAT'S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN, YOU CAN'T JUST "TURN BACK THE CLOCK", THIS ISN'T A VIDEO GAME WHERE THERE'S A COSMIC RESET BUTTON WHERE YOU CAN START OVER AND DO EVERYTHING DIFFERENTLY, I WISH THAT WERE THE CASE. SANS DIDN'T EVEN SEEM THAT HURT WHEN YOU DIED TO BE HONEST. THIS ISN'T HIM BEING COLD OR UNCARING, IT'S A STRANGE KIND OF INDIFFERENCE THAT'S HARD TO EXPLAIN AND IS KINDA CREEPY. THE BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE IT IS LIKE SEEING A VERY SHOCKING PLOT TWIST IN A MOVIE, BUT THEN WATCHING THE MOVIE OVER AND OVER UNTIL THE TWIST NO LONGER HAS ANY MEANING TO IT. IT'S LIKE "YEAH, I'VE SEEN THAT BEFORE."

WELL THEN, IT'S BEEN NICE TALKING TO YOU FRISK! I LEFT YOU A CAN OF MY FINEST SPAGHETTI AT YOUR GRAVE IN CASE YOU BECOME A ZOMBIE AND GET HUNGRY. SANS WAS RIGHT, I DO FEEL A LOT BETTER! NYEH-HEH-HEH... heh... hmph.

Whatever...

Take care of yourself buddy. I'm going to pay a visit to the core and blow some steam, I always hated that place. If you see my dad in the afterlife tell him I said hi and sorry for smashing up his creation.

(Click) 


	3. Chapter 3

[First, I would like to thank everyone who's read and reviewed my story. It feels great to have such a positive response to my works and I feel like writing some more chapters in the future and maybe starting another story. Please enjoy the next chapter.]

(Ring, Ring...)

Hello, my child. It's been a while since I've last spoken to you, I'm sorry that I haven't seen you in so long. I've spent most of my days in the Underground, I have little interest in seeing the surface, I know that I'm not worthy of it, especially after everything that's happened.

Papyrus and Sans spoke to me recently, they said it would be good for me to finally come to the surface and visit you, and perhaps live there since you've given up everything in order for monsters to have that freedom. They are both such wonderful people, but I don't feel like I of all people deserve to live on the surface, after all it was my failure as a parent figure and a friend which cost you so much.

I see that everyone has made quite a memorial for you, it's very beautiful and it's the least we could do for everything that you've done for us. From what I understand, the other humans are very divided about us coming to the surface again, some are acceptant of us but others are adamantly against our being there, even though there aren't that many of us and some of us have tried to contribute to their world, like Alphys. Funny, is it not? You and the other human children I've met seem to be more mature and wise than the adults, who are bickering with each other ceaselessly over insignificant matters. It's really annoying.

In truth, I feel that my failures as a parent and as a friend have lead you to this fate. Nobody knows exactly what happened between the time we all passed out to the time we found your lifeless body and the broken barrier, but I know that I should've protected you, and I failed. I cannot express in words how sorry I am about this, I know you would likely forgive me, you are a generous and forgiving child, but I'm not so forgiving to myself. I now have to live with the loss of not three, but nine children who I've committed myself to protect and failed.

I dream about you sometimes, and the other children. In this dream, we are on the surface, near the base of Mount Ebott where many yellow flowers grow like the ones in Asgore's throne room. All of us are there, living in a small wooden house, unlike the castle in the Underground. You and Asriel are playing with the other children amongst the flowers, and Chara is simply sitting down, depressed as usual and keeping to himself, he was always a pessimist unfortunately. Not all of my dreams are so pleasant though, sometimes late at night I hear Asriel's voice as well, echoing through the ruins, crying or calling for you or Chara. I wake up and rush to where I hear his voice but when I arrive he's always gone. One time I thought I saw him in the distance, fleeing down a dark hallway in the ruins, but I could never find him when I go to look. I think I'm going insane.

...

I'm sorry, I mustn't burden you with such fantasies.

I must know something though, even though you can't respond to this question I still feel like I should ask it just in case. What happens to humans when they die? Dr. Alphys told me that monster souls disappear when we expire but human souls continue to live on, or at least they live on longer than a monster's soul. When a human dies, is there a special place their souls go to that's impossible for us to reach? Or do you remain on Earth and stealthly watch over and follow us? I like the idea of the later, the idea that you're still with us and there to listen to us and help us when we need you, even though you no longer have a body or a voice to speak with anymore. I also want to know... Is Asriel or Chara with you? If so, I have a few things to say to them.

First, I'd like you to tell Asriel I'm sorry, that I should've never let him leave the Underground with Chara's body, and that it should've been my responsible and mine alone to complete the task that Chara had set out for him. Also, if by chance he somehow comes back to life, I want him to know that he's grounded. I've found those naughty CDs he had hidden under his bed, I'm not sure what "Machine" those angry humans were raging against but I'm certain they could've done so with much fewer F-Bombs. As for Chara, all I want to know is why? Did he end his life because he was that unhappy? Or did he truly want to free us that badly? Or was there some other motive I'm not aware of?

You see, after Asriel returned Chara's body we discovered he had died of buttercup poisoning, but our family continued to keep this a secret from the rest of the monsters, the truth would only hurt them. If you meet Chara wherever you are, tell him I still love him, even though he has hurt us all so badly. And Frisk, although you're not alive anymore I could somehow sense that you don't want me to blame myself for what happened to you. But it's too late for me, I've had more than my share of chances to be a good parent and I've failed each time, I should never have let even a single child leave my sight. The truth is, I miss my children... so much. When you fell to the Underground, you somehow reminded me of both of them at once.

Rest in peace my child, and don't worry about me, I'll figure things out.

Thank you, for everything.

(Click...) 


End file.
